I’ve been in LA for over 2 years and I have had no desire to see this place , when Tim suggested we check it out on our little tourist run I wasn’t so keen . It wasn’t that I thought it wouldn’t be an eye opener , because I knew it would , but it felt perverse to entertain oneself by watching those that are less fortunate. As Tim is a budding photographer and a guy who does have a genuine interest in people it was something he wanted to capture and once entertaining the idea we knew this would be an experience that is good for us …..We’ll see just how lucky we are. 
There’s plenty of homeless here , way too many . As an Australian it’s a shock when you first come here and witness it . Tourist hotspots Hollywood and Santa Monica aren’t spared for homeless ,Venice beach is a hotspot , people pushing trolleys , sleeping on footpaths and camping along stretches of Lincoln Blvd ( think Fitzroy street ) . I live in ‘the bubble ‘ , a term we SouthBayers use to describe Manhattan Beach , Redondo Beach and Hermosa Beach ,but even here with it’s white , wealthy and educated locale there are a few regular homeless that share the beach paths . As an outsider looking in I think this is one of America’s great shames , it doesn’t look after its disadvantaged .
Skid Row was a term once used in the 1800s to describe the transportation of logs by skidding them down the road . It started in Seattle and became identified with lowly mill workers and the lesser likes . Skid Row in LA wasn’t what I pictured . It wasn’t one street with tents and people lining the footpaths , it was bigger and more spread , stretching into adjoining streets . I was shocked at its size , it’s actually a 4 mile square block ( 6to 7 km) .We cruised slowly down 3rd street , at least I think it was , this area is an ugly stretch of Urban decay , a truly horrible piece of streetscape that exists in a modern city like LA , but it’s here I check myself and correct that statement . LA isn’t as modern as you think , it isn’t pretty and it has only a few buildings of architectural interest , gentrification may come but it needs to come quicker . That aside it is totally perplexing that a shanty town of tents , blankets , debris ,with a group of desperately disadvantaged and broken soles can exist in such a busy populated area , all on the public watch is an absolute disgrace .
When Tim motions that he’d like to stop here as he’d found the shot he wants , I pull the car over with reluctance. Ash , Al , Tim and myself get out and survey the scene , it truly looks post apocalyptic. You could imagine this site in some futuristic post world war scenario . To have a business here would be suicidal as no ones coming to buy . On closer inspection these premises are more warehouse and roller door fronted buildings. You look down the street past the desperate and you’re a stones throwaway from the fashion district and major high rises , your practically in their shadow .It’s a little like West and North Melbourne back in the 80s but without the tents and vagrants , of course these areas have been gentrified and are now sought after , not here . Within a minute we see a woman squatting , pants off doing her thing on the side of the road , others lay under blankets on the pathway or in tents , some just frying in the sun . I take a couple of photos , but I’m embarrassed . These people don’t deserve to be captured like this but here I am with my phone out . We are out of the car for only 3 or 4 minutes but it felt uncomfortable ,with bystanders watching us and that sense that it would only be a matter of time before we are confronted . We weren’t ….and this was just our paranoia……no one gives a fuck and if they did it would probably been someone asking for a few coins .
The pictures above and below don’t show the injustice that this place truly represents , with the naked eye it looked barren , ugly and then there’s the smell of urine and garbage that comes with a place that doesn’t have toilets . Think about it … no toilets 
We cruise out , driving through South LA . This is another eye opener . I now have a better perspective of what all the South LA talk and culture is all about . It isn’t pretty . You’d hate to walk these streets after dark , I’d be dead set shitting myself . It’s just the state of the area here and the lack of effort to keep the streets clean of debris , to mowing nature strips , planting shrubs and flowers on traffic islands . There’s no love here , no pride in the area , no money invested in making this area welcoming . No , it’s clear …. don’t stop here .
Skid Row , I’m glad I went . It was confronting your worst fears . This could be you , you never know what misfortune could be ahead . There’s been a lot of press and a lot of money thrown about this problem . They’ve got to fix it . As a country it’s like looking in the mirror and seeing something you don’t like about yourself . As an Aussie I just think that “how lucky are we “. We never want to get like this
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